The present invention relates to a printable wristband form. More particularly, the present invention relates to a form having a wristband with an opaque portion, or a portion that is not substantially transparent, accompanied by a transparent label for affixation to the wristband after printing to protect printed information.
It is a common practice in hospitals to identify patients with a bracelet or band containing the patient's name or other identification information. The band is generally secured around the wrist of a patient so that hospital personnel can properly identify the patient during his stay. However, while this has been an effective method of identifying patients, many hospitals have had problems correlating patient information on specimens, drug prescriptions, physician's orders, and the like. Clerical errors in handling such routine matters can result in the wrong medicine being dispensed, or the wrong treatment being given to a patient.
Several attempts have been made to improve the correlation of patient information to various hospital forms. For example, Falla, U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,947 teaches a pre-packaged patient identification kit which includes a wristband, a specimen container, and a label for attachment to a patient's record, all of which have been provided with identical patient information. Weichselbaum et el, U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,112, teaches a patient identification system in which an identification bracelet secured to a patient is used to dispense a series of tags which are magnetically coded with patient information. This method requires the use of a tag reader as well as decoding circuitry. These methods are complex and difficult to implement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,472, issued Aug. 5, 1997, to Huddleston et al, discloses a form having detachable labels and a wristband. The form includes a face ply adhered to a liner ply by a pressure sensitive adhesive. The face ply includes a first portion and a second portion, where the first portion is die cut to form a wristband and the second portion is die cut to form a series of detachable labels. The form may be printed in a single pass through a printer to provide the wristband and labels with correlating printed indicia. The form of the '472 patent thus is a substantial improvement over prior wristband arrangements. However, the indicia on the wristband taught in the '472 patent are subject to being removed or rendered illegible as a result of exposure to various liquids, and as a result of wear from the surface of the wristband rubbing against various surfaces.
Accordingly, there is still a need in the art for an identification system which includes a wristband as well as an accompanying series of labels or tags which can be efficiently provided with correlating identification information, and which also includes a transparent protective label for application to the wristband surface after it is printed with appropriate indicia.